The present invention pertains to a space-saving packaging system for strings of lights.
Conventional means for packaging light strings includes the use of styrofoam boxes and molded plastic sheets. Styrofoam boxes, molded with a prescribed number of separate compartments, aline the lights in several long rows. The packager inserts the lights into the individual compartments coiling the string of wire between the rows. The plastic sheets similarly hold a prescribed number of lights individually in place using molded tabs. The lights are laid in long rows with the string of wire, coiled between these rows.
Several problems currently plague these conventional packaging means. First, they are difficult to package. Both means loosely coil the string of electrical wire between the rows of lights. These loose coils tend to move about during the packaging process thereby further complicating the packaging procedure.
Second, the conventional means wastes packaging space. With lights individually held in long rows laid side by side and the string of wire coiled in between these rows, these forms of packaging tend to occupy a large horizontal area. Such form of packaging further does not reduce its vertical dimension as dimension is dictated by the height of the electrical plug. Accordingly, these forms of packaging do not minimize their cubic packaging volume.
Finally, both are restricted to a prescribed number of lights in the string. Accordingly, the packager must keep on hand several sizes of these packaging means to accommodate the packaging of light strings containing a different number of lights in a string, for example 35, 50, or 100 bulbs in a string.